Control
by Nabi-Jinju
Summary: Jennifer, a runaway from Chicago, ends up at Xavier's School but one thing she doesn't expect is meeting a boy that will change her life. But will she be able to control herself or crash & burn? PyroXOC Possible future warnings
1. Starting Over

I was tired. I was hungry. And I was cold.

Walking across three states, illegally into another country and then coming back through into a whole new state isn't as fun as it sounds. I mean, leaving my beautiful home of Chicago, Illinois, walking through Indiana, Michigan, illegally into Canada and then right back out into New York. Not exactly the best idea I've come up with.

So the question buzzing in your minds must be, why the hell am I even doing such a stupid trek in the first place? Why didn't I just take a plane or drive my car or even find a train for God's sake? Well, problem number one would have to be: no money. Which means, no plane ticket, no train ticket and no gas for a car. Well, if I had a car. If I had a license. Mommy and daddy dearest just couldn't trust me all because of a stupid joy-ride I took when I was thirteen years old. I mean, nobody died and you would think they would be nicer. But no, it meant I wasn't allowed to get my license while I lived with them.

So, back to the first question, why am I walking from Chicago to New York? Well, to make it short and simple, I'm a mutant. Also, just like the joy-ride, that didn't end too well with mom and dad either. So, I had two options: Live at home and just try to pretend that somewhere deep down my parents still loved me or leave and find some better life out there. My decision was made up quickly when mom's last words to me were _"Get out now. You are no daughter of mine."_

At first, it was one of the hardest things to listen to and understand. I mean, unlike most kids, my mom and I were pretty tight. My dad was usually always away on business trips and never really could come home when he wanted so it was mostly mom and me. After her words, though, I just accepted it. She didn't want me, just because I was a mutant.

I was just lucky, though, that winter was finishing up its course. My clothing definitely wasn't helping out at all. I had on a large jacket but the only problem was that there was no good insulation to the jacket. My jeans that I wore would have been helpful if the holes in them from all my skating accidents weren't there. And after trekking in them for days, now, Converses definitely aren't the best shoes to walk in across miles of asphalt, wilderness and snow. And the long black sleeve shirt I wore wasn't any help either. But there were the gloves I wore, the fingerless gloves I wore. They were a bit of help.

I attempted to create some friction, rubbing my hands together and even blowing some hot air into them. Except when I finally thought I would get a little warm, a nice cold breeze ran through the woods I was currently in. You would think with the amount of trees, it would stop some of the wind, right?

It was late, though. That much, I could tell. The moon was out, giving off some light so I could see where I was going but still, it was dark and I was in the woods and I also needed to find some kind of place soon. I was beginning to trip over nothing, which meant that my body was growing even more tired. If I really didn't find a place to crash soon, I'd end up falling onto the ground and staying there until I gained enough energy or died. I couldn't let that happen.

My feet kept walking, thankfully. Almost as if they knew something was close and I would be able to relax soon. I readjusted my messenger bag that was slung over my shoulder and switched the small duffel bag I was carrying to the other hand. There wasn't much. Just my more important articles of clothing, personal information and belongings, necessities, and just a few extra things I couldn't live without for instance my laptop and my favorite stuffed animal, a giraffe I had gotten at a zoo. Bite me, I loved it to death

Suddenly, a whole new gust of wind brushed past me. I immediately fell to my knees, hunching over and trying to keep myself as warm as I could. All I wanted was warmth. Luckily, that's exactly what I got. I allowed my head to lift up a bit and smiled gently, seeing the usual bubble texture of my force field up and around me before it transformed into a glossy state. I was decently warm, still a bit freezing while everything on the outside of the force field was blowing harshly due to the wind.

Unfortunately, the wind continued and with my energy dwindling, holding up a force field wasn't helping at all. Slowly, it began to fade, releasing in a cold blast of air. I huddled, once more, into a ball on the ground and closed my eyes. I just wanted it to stop.

"Scott!" My eyes slightly opened to see a figure above me, floating. I immediately pegged the voice as female and from my description of floating; she had to be a mutant. Footsteps began rushing towards me as the lady landed next to me, a hand on my forehead. The pair of footsteps stopped and another figure loomed over me.

"Is she alright?" This must be Scott. Another hand rested on my forehead.

"She doesn't have a fever but we need to get her somewhere warm," said the lady. Almost instantly, I was being picked up, my bags being taken from my grasp.

"No," I murmured out, attempting to reach for them, only to grab onto someone's hand.

"It's alright, sweetie, we're going to get you to safety," said the lady's voice.

"Where?" My eyes were drooping and I could feel the cold and fatigue slowly taking me away.

"To safety," repeated the woman, "Let's get her to the professor." And then, it all went blank.


	2. Jackasses?

Warmth. Finally. I could feel my body waking up but most importantly, I could feel my body. My arms were to my side, my legs laid out straight and I was on my back. Then, there came the part where your eyes snap wide open, you sit up frantically and begin asking, Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Except, I did it a different way. My eyes slowly opened, instead of bugging out of my head. I could still feel fatigue wrapped around me but I was at least glad that I was alive. I took in my surroundings quickly, only to find myself in some sort of high tech doctor's office. I also finally felt the wires that were attached to my body; my arms, legs, chest, stomach and even one on my forehead. There was a machine that was intune with my heartbeat, which wasn't as fast as I thought it would be. There were glass cabinets filled with equipment and medicine. And other kinds of machines all around the room.

I, apparently, was on some sort of bed, covered with the paper wrap that you usually see that the doctors have. My skin wasn't cold, though and from the texture of the table, it seemed to be steel. I also checked over my body and wondered why I hadn't realized until now that I was in a completely different change of clothes. I was in a running suit, dark blue with white lining and an emblem that looked like an X in a circle on the left side of the zipper of the jacket. I also didn't have on any socks or my Converses.

Slowly, I pushed my body up, sitting upright and looking around some more, hoping to also find my clothes. The blood in my head began to rush but not as bad as it would if I had just stood up right then and there. I waited until everything cleared up before I began to slowly take the wires off. I wasn't one of those people who had a phobia of hospitals considering I've been in them most of my life, most of it having to do with my skateboard accidents while the others were mostly because mom was a health freak and usually had me checked up on for the smallest things.

The heart monitor next to the metal table sent out a dead signal, letting anyone know that whoever was hooked up this thing was either dead or not in the mood to keep it on. I quickly shut if off, remembering how my old doctor used to do it. I then picked off everything else that was possibly attached to my body before letting my bare feet touch the ground. It was metal as well but a little warmer, most likely heated from below. As the blood rushed back through my body, I slowly began looking for my belongings. My clothes were nowhere in sight and neither were my bags.

"Damn it," I murmured, now freaking out. All my most valuable things were in those bags and if I couldn't find it, somebody was going to die.

Suddenly, I heard some sort of whooshing noise behind me. I quickly turned, my blonde hair flying around instead of in the ponytail it had been before. Standing in the doorway was a lady with deep red hair tied up in a bun. She was dressed in a doctor's coat, glasses resting on her nose. She was followed by a man with dark brown hair and glasses with red lenses and another woman, this one with dark skin and white hair that draped down past her shoulders.

"Well, it seems our patient is up," said the dark haired lady. I recognized her voice from the day before; she was the lady who had yelled for Scott. Nonetheless, I backed up as they stood inside the room, the door closing automatically like the ones at the supermarkets.

"Where am I?" I asked, my voice wavering slightly. I wasn't a very sociable person, considering how long I had been traveling. The only times I wasn't cold was to the ladies in the food stores I would stop at. They threw me sympathetic looks before telling me I could grab a drink and one food item before I had to leave.

"Why don't you sit down and let me check your vitals," said the doctor, patting her hand gently on the metal table I was just on. I looked at her, the man and the other woman before slowly walking over to the table and sitting down, keeping my head down. The doctor grabbed a thermometer before slipping it into my mouth.

"Keep it beneath your tongue," she instructed.

"Where am I?" I repeated, grinning on the inside that even with the thermometer in my mouth, I could still talk pretty clearly.

"You're at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters," said the lady with white hair.

"This doesn't look like a school," I stated before the doctor took out the thermometer and moved onto checking my blood pressure.

"It's a special school for mutants," said the man, crossing his arms. "You're in the lower levels of the school."

"A school for mutants?" I repeated, making sure I heard clear. I never thought a place would exist.

"Yes. Scott and Ororo found you out in the woods close to the school," said the doctor, picking up a stethoscope and resting it on my chest, "They brought you in." I inhaled and exhaled deeply, already knowing the routine with almost anything she would probably give me.

"Why would you bring me in, though? You didn't even know I was a mutant." I paused but nobody spoke. The doctor was busy with checking my vitals, Scott's eyes were hidden but his face seemed to be chiseled into an emotionless state and Ororo was just looking at my sympathetically. "What happens to me now?" I whispered. I don't know why I had even asked. A part of me wanted to get out of here but another was hoping in a way that maybe there was a place for me here. I mean, a school for people like me. It would be so much easier than trying to live out in the real world, knowing you're a mutant where here you cold be accepted.

The doctor smiled gently, taking the stethoscope away from me and nodded to me, "Right now, we're going to find you some food and a bed to sleep in instead of here. But, tomorrow you can talk to the professor about that." I looked at her quizzically, wondering what she meant by "that"?

Ororo must've seen my confused face and smiled, "Jean is a telepath." I nodded slowly before looking at Ororo and Scott.

"What can you two do?"

"Storm can manipulate the weather and I can shoot beams of energy from my eyes," Scott said, his lips turning into a small frown. I threw another quizzical look, though, at the three of them.

"Who's Storm?"

Ororo laughed quietly before holding her hand up, "I am. That's my mutant name."

"Mutant name?" Honestly, I'm not that dense but I never heard of people having mutant names.

"Yes, we're X-Men," Jean said, putting her hands into the jacket pockets.

"X-Men?" The three nodded, smiles on their faces. I looked between all three of them once more. "Where exactly am I?"

**}****{**

"Hi, I'm Lucy." I smiled softly and nodded Lucy, who stood in front of me. She looked my age with dyed bleach blonde and dyed black hair that was cut to her shoulder and straight. Her eyes were a dark color, almost black and surrounded by a dark colored eye shadow and eyeliner. She also had snakebites and her ears were also pierced. She was a little shorter than me, by an inch or so and was decked out in a pair of skinny jeans and a simple red top.

"Lucy, this is Jennifer Adams. She's going to be your new roommate," Ororo or Storm said, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, I could tell from the bags that someone had moved in," Lucy said, jabbing her finger towards my bags that were settled neatly on the spare bed. I breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that I really hadn't lost them. "I haven't looked through anything, I swear." I looked at Lucy and flashed a thankful smile.

"Well, I'll let you two get unpacked and talk a bit. Once you're finished, bring her downstairs so she can have some dinner, alright Lucy?" Lucy nodded before she jumped onto her bed, resuming her homework. I turned to Ororo, who nodded comfortingly before closing the door.

"So, where ya from?" I turned back to Lucy whose eyes were trained firmly on me. I sat on my new bed, reaching for my bag.

"I'm from Chicago."

"How'd you get here? Did your parents let you come?" She had now neglected her homework to play twenty questions with me. I smiled gently, pulling out my small laptop and setting it on the bed.

"No. I ran away. After the neighbor squealed on my powers, they just couldn't handle their only daughter having powers so I ran."

"Wow. How did you get here, though? Did Storm go get you?"

"No, I literally ran. I stuffed my bags with everything that was important and just left."

"By literally, you mean like on foot?" I simply nodded, now unpacking my clothes. A few socks, a pair of flip flops, some shirts and a couple pairs of jeans and sweats as well as the only jean skirt I owned, a couple pairs of bras and underwear and a swimsuit. Hey, don't judge.

"Oh my God, how did you survive?" she exclaimed, her face full of confusion.

"I don't know, the hope and will that maybe life would be better or something. I mean, going from Chicago, through Indiana and Michigan, into Canada and back out into New York is a lot, huh?" I wasn't trying to be smug but luckily, Lucy didn't pick up on that. She just gawked in horror at my story.

"You…are…crazy," she said, emphasizing every word. I chuckled softly before pointing to my clothes.

"Where can I put these?"

"Oh, my bad. You can either put them in the closet or in the dresser. The two bottom drawers are empty," she said, pointing at the dark colored furniture.

"Thanks," I mumbled, picking up my swimsuit, socks, underwear and bras and slipping them into the very bottom drawer. My pants, skirt and tops went into the second drawer that wasn't occupied.

"So, what exactly are your powers?" Lucy asked. I closed the drawers and then began pulling out my stuffed animal, a binder full of blank paper, a folder full of important papers and a small bag of pencils and pens. I also pulled out my toothbrush, some small bottles of shampoo and conditioner, a bar of soap wrapped in a paper towel, a razor and a small big with make up in it.

"Producing force fields."

"Oh, that's cool. I can only change my appearance," she stated glumly, pulling on her hair.

"Actually, that sounds cooler than putting up a force field," I said, taking my now empty duffel bag and backpack and letting them slide to the ground.

"Not really. Like, I can only change _my_ appearance. Like my hair style, eye color, skin color and height. I can't change into other people or talk like them. Like, I can change my hair, eyes, color and height to match yours but I still have my facial features and my voice," she said, her hair changing to my blonde color, her eyes swirling into a somewhat gray color like mine, her skin color changing to my fair tone and her height matching my 5'8" one.

"Still, I like your powers," I said, smiling. She smiled back before she changed back to herself. "So is that your original hair color and eye color?"

"Nah. I like this style, though, one of my favorites. My natural is dark brown wavy hair and blue eyes," she said proudly, a grin overrunning her face. She then told me that I could put my bathroom things on top of the dresser, along with hers because we would be sharing a bathroom with some other girls in the hall and it was better to keep your stuff with you incase a prank ensued.

After most of the packing was finished, my binder and folder tucked into a drawer in a desk that was in the room, my stomach let out a soft growl that caused Lucy to laugh.

"We should go get some dinner before we're left with scraps," she said, slipping her feet into a pair of flats. I slipped mine into my flip flops, wondering what happened to my Converses. I had those shoes ever since I was seven. They've been through everything with me, including every skateboard fall. I also wondered where my jacket and other clothes were.

"Oh, before we go, Jean told me these were yours," she said, holding my jeans, shirt, jacket and my Converses. "She put the jacket, jeans and shirt through the wash." I smiled brightly, taking them from Lucy and just resting them on my bed.

"Thanks. I hoped I hadn't lost those." She simply nodded before grabbing my wrist and pulling me out the door and down the halls.

"Now, I know it's going to take some time before you memorize your way around this place so if you need to go anywhere, let me know. The bathrooms are pretty close so that shouldn't be hard. Most of the classes are downstairs, along with the kitchen, rec room, and most of the other big rooms. Boys are on the third floor, teachers are on the top floor and then there's the roof; we're on the second floor by the way. You can either take the elevator or stairs, depending on your mood. Outside are some gardens, a basketball court and the garage, which is full of cars. Also, downstairs in the lowest level is the Danger Room, where the X-Men train as well as the infirmary and where the jet is parked. There's also the forest and a small lake but not many of us have time to go out there." Lucy had explained this the entire way down, leading me through hallways and down flights of stairs as well. I remembered a bit of it but I knew I would still need an escort for a while.

Finally, we managed to get downstairs and were met with a bunch of kids, young and around our age. The rec room was mostly full of them, just hanging out, watching TV, playing some games, or snacking a bit.

"C'mon, this way," Lucy said, pulling me down the hallway. I could tell we were in some sort of foyer. One of the walls looked out onto a basketball court and some gardens as well. Some kids were out there, playing, watching, or just hanging out with their other friends before the sun would set all the way. On the other wall were doors, distanced by about at least six feet. These were probably the classrooms.

We continued until Lucy pulled me into a kitchen. It wasn't really full but there were kids, digging through cupboards, the fridge and wherever there was any food possible while others sat at an island counter or a small table.

"Hey Lucy!" We both turned to see a guy coming over, a smile on his face as he held a plate with two sandwiches.

"Hey, Dean," Lucy said, hugging his neck before taking a sandwich and handing it to me. "It's grilled cheese, Dean makes the best," Lucy said, a smile on her face as she looked up at Dean. He had black hair, a small goatee growing and was a couple inches taller than Lucy. His muscles that were exposed thanks to his short sleeve shirt also showed he worked out.

"Thanks," I said, taking a small bite. The feel of real food in my mouth pushed a smile on my face. It really was good. The bread was buttery, the cheese was just at the perfect melting state and there was a hint of garlic there. My half Italian heritage couldn't be any happier.

"So, introductions. This is Dean, my boyfriend. Dean, this is Jennifer Adams. She just came here and she's my roomy," Lucy said, a grin on her face. Dean nodded, holding his free hand out to me.

"Nice to meet you," he said, a timid smile on his face. I nodded back as well, taking another bite of the sandwich.

"So please don't tell me you have detention again," Lucy said, a small pout on her face as she turned her full attention to him. Dean sighed, taking the other sandwich and ripping off a piece before putting it in between Lucy's lips.

"Yes, Lucy, I do. Sorry," he said, placing the plate on a counter before he began feeding the rest to her.

"What'd you do this time?" she asked in between mouthfuls.

"I didn't do anything. It was them," he growled, looking off into a direction. Lucy and I also turned, seeing two guys sitting at a table by themselves. One guy had brown hair and ice blue eyes and was eating some soup while the other was eating pizza, his hair also brown but his eyes seemed a darker color, maybe brown or hazel.

"Who are they?" I asked, finishing off the sandwich and thanking Dean once again.

"John Allerdyce and Bobby Drake. They may seem like good guys but they're asses," Lucy stated, waving her hand absentmindedly as Dean fed her the last bit of her sandwich. She kissed him before looking at me again. "Just be careful around them. They're not exactly the best people to hang with. Plus, they're kinda like outsiders."

"They think they're so good…" Dean trailed off, muttering curses under his breath as one arm wrapped around Lucy's waist.

"You can probably tell that Dean and John and Bobby don't get along very well," Lucy said. I nodded slowly, my eyes trailing back towards the two "bad boys".

"Which one's which?"

"Bobby's eating soup-"

"And the jackass eating pizza is John," Dean finished after he cut off Lucy. I could see the hate and mirth in his eyes. He obviously had something against them but it seemed more like against John.

I trailed my eyes back to the boys while Lucy attempted to calm down Dean. Bobby was talking to John at the moment. He seemed too innocent to be considered a "bad boy" but looks could be deceiving. His eyes, though, still held that innocent little boy look. As for John, who just smirked and laughed at whatever Bobby had said, he seemed more like the "bad boy". His hair was slicked back and he just seemed to radiate a sort of "bad boy" vibe. But then again, I wasn't an empath but like I said before, looks could be deceiving.

"Hello, Jenny!" A few of the kids were now looking at what made sure a loud noise, including Bobby and John. I quickly turned back around to see Lucy was looking at me, her face a bit worried. Wait a minute…did she just call me Jenny? "If you wanna go to bed, I can take you up there right now. I need to study a little bit with Dean so I can't take you up later."

I nodded slowly, my eyes trained carefully on her, "Sure but I'll just check the school out a bit, if that's okay."

"Yeah, that's totally fine. Just get back in the room by 10; that's curfew. And if the door is locked, just jiggle the handle a bit and it should open. I'll ask Storm for an extra key later." I nodded and bid her good bye as she and Dean left, his eyes glaring at John and Bobby once more. I carefully looked their way, seeing John and Bobby both throw a glare at Dean before he left. Bobby then looked back over to me, a small smile on his face before he waved his hand over.

I cautiously walked over, avoiding a girl who was attempting to drink some milk from her bowl without looking where she was going. Bobby pulled up an empty seat in between him and John, allowing me to sit.

"Hey," he greeted kindly.

I smiled back kindly as well; he didn't seem too bad. "Hey."

"What's your name?" John asked, his voice a bit rough but still smooth.

"I'm Jennifer Adams but you can call me Jenny," I could feel a little anger within my body from when Lucy called me Jenny. I was a little iffy with people calling me by my nickname if I didn't let them.

"That's funny," Bobby said, chuckling. I looked at him a little confused as I blushed. What was so funny? What did I do?

"What's funny?" John asked, voicing my question.

"She's got the same initials as you, dude," Bobby said, taking a sip of his soup. "John Allerdyce and Jennifer Adams." I giggled a bit, seeing what Bobby meant. John just grumbled, taking another bite of his pizza. "She thinks it's funny," Bobby said, smiling at me. I smiled back. Seriously, Lucy must be mistaken. These guys weren't that bad.

"Did you eat?" John asked. I looked at him to see he was looking at me, his face etched with confusion while his eyes looked over me a bit worried. I guess all those days walking and not eating very much really had allowed me to lose weight.

I nodded, "My roommate's boyfriend made me a sandwich but it wasn't that much." My stomach let out a grumble that stated what I meant.

"Who's your roommate?" Bobby asked.

"Lucy," I answered cautiously. I didn't know her last name but I guess Bobby and John knew who I was talking about because John glared at the table and Bobby nodded solemnly.

"Then she must've already told you how bad we are," Bobby said, finishing up his soup, although I could hear the disdain in his voice.

"Well, Dean definitely voiced his opinion but I don't judge by words. I'm usually more of a 'meet-them-first-then-decide' kind of person," I said, rubbing my hands together out of boredom. Bobby smiled and nodded.

"Well, I hope we don't make a bad impression right now." I shook my head, a smile on my face as well.

"So far, I like you guys." Bobby blushed while John smirked before he slid his pizza over to me. I looked up at him, confused and wary. His smirk seemed a bit egotistical but it softened as he ripped off the piece he had bitten before stuffing it into his mouth.

"Dean's sandwiches won't fill you up," he simply stated. I nodded and picked up the pizza, taking a bite out of it.

"Aw, John, how nice of you," Bobby said, a grin on his face. John wiped his hands on a napkin before balling it up and throwing it at Bobby's head.

"Shut up." I giggled and took another bite. Even though I will admit that Dean made good sandwiches, pizza will always kick anything's ass in the food category. And as I watched John and Bobby bash each other with inside jokes and just everyday crap, I couldn't help but feel that maybe this school was a good thing.


	3. Fight

It had been a week since I had found my way to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. I had luckily recovered and gained back enough of my weight thanks to John's constant force feeding. Dr. Jean Grey was also proud of my weight gain and the fact that I was getting enough sleep as well.

As for Professor Xavier, it had been a quick meeting rather than a long one as I had expected. He simply introduced me formally to the staff, consisting of Ororo, Scott and Jean as well as himself. He then told me he would give me about a week to get the hang of the school as well as help me with my powers if I decided I would really like to stay. I agreed to his terms and got my schedule for the week.

So far, I was really enjoying myself. Lucy was a good roommate, a little on the wild side at times, but nonetheless a cool friend. As for Dean, he really loved Lucy and was also a pretty good friend. It usually all crumbled, though, when Bobby or John would acknowledge me. Dean would throw them dirty looks, wrap his arm around Lucy and pull her away and she would call after her for me to follow. At times, I would make an excuse, saying I needed to talk to Ororo or something before I would rush off after John and Bobby to hang out.

Bobby, Bobby, Bobby. The only one good word to describe him was a friend. He was one awesome person and really had a kind heart. His powers were ice manipulation and I was lucky to find out the easy way. Warm sodas and John and I being impatient weren't exactly the best combination so Bobby did a quick freeze. Nonetheless, I was glad Bobby and I could talk. He was like the older brother I never had.

As for John, let's just say that there was a bit of a different connection between us. Ever since he gave me his pizza, there was just something there. Bobby would constantly make jokes whenever we would eat because John was always piling up my plate. His only answer to that was that he felt more comfortable when he knew what I was eating. Of course, not being the dense girl that I am, I had already had a hunch that most likely it was because of a crush. Bobby also had his hunch, the exact same one as mine but he also had better evidence than I did. Supposedly, whenever Bobby would mention anything about me, John had a tendency to smile a bit. Either way, I loved hanging out with those two.

My week was almost up for my test at Xavier's School. I was enjoying my last day, sleeping in but of course, someone just has to wake me up.

"Hey, Jennifer, you want some breakfast?" I opened my eyes slowly, glancing around the room to see that Lucy was already up and dressed in a dark purple and black corset, a pair of dark skinny jeans and her usual pair of flats. Her makeup was also done up; charcoal black eyeliner drawn heavily around the bottom of her eyes, shiny purple eye shadow and her foundation was compacted on her already flawless skin. Her eyes were also a different color today as well, a dark shimmering green. Her hair was also a different color and style: neon red with orange highlights and hanging down to her sides.

"Yeah, I'll get some soon," I mumbled, happy that she also called me by my full name. I don't know why, but I just wasn't ready for her to call me Jenny. I guess just because all the girls that I had ever known were too preppy and disrespectful to me so I never really made friends with them. I was more friends with the skater boys at school.

"Alright, I'll see you down there. You can remember, right?" I slowly nodded, sitting up in bed as my blonde hair fell down over my shoulders. Lucy nodded and waved her hand before she walked out the door, leaving me to myself. I let out a deep breath, a smile crossing my face. Already a week and it was so much better than the life I had lived. Well, except for the past when I was accepted just because I was Jennifer Adams, skateboarder and tomboy/girl next door. Now though, my life was officially different. I had a life where I was accepted as who I was, exactly who I was.

A knock sounded at my door, most likely someone who was going around doing wake up calls.

"I'm awake," I called back, scratching my head as I got off my bed, pulling down my tank top to grab my toothbrush and soap.

"So I hear," came a male voice from the other side. I rolled my eyes; were they trying to get in trouble? I walked back towards the door, opening it to see Bobby and John, leaning in the doorway. Bobby smiled brightly…too brightly, while John was busy flicking his lighter open and closed, his eyes going up and down my legs as a smirk crossed his face.

"I'm so glad you convinced me to come and wake her up, Bobby," John said, his eyes finally meeting mine. One of the funnier things about John was that he never stared at my breasts but for every other time I wore my jean skirt, which was only once, and my pajamas which were a simple tank top and pajama shorts, John always managed to make a comment.

"You do realize that this is the girls' floor, correct?" I knew that the both of them were smart enough to not get caught when coming to wake me up but hey, just had to make sure.

"Well with all the girls that usually walk around this floor, I am pretty sure we are on the girls' floor," Bobby said, a small grin making its way to his face. I rolled my eyes before I walked back into my room, opening my drawer that held my pants and shirts.

"I can meet you guys downstairs," I reasoned, pulling out my jean skirt as well as a red 3/4 sleeve cut shirt with small fire designs running up the sleeves.

"This is seriously my lucky day," John mused from the door, following Bobby into my room as they both sat on my unmade bed. I looked at the both of them, my hands on my hips.

"Promise me that you can behave in here for fifteen minutes while I get ready?" I asked like a mother. Both boys nodded sincerely. Giving them one more look, I nodded before grabbing my bathroom things and walking to the bathroom which was luckily about three rooms down from mine and Lucy's. Usually taking showers at night was a good thing, since most of the girls took them in the morning and would usually mix up the scents from their shampoos and body washes which sometimes wasn't the best thing.

Today, it smelled like a mixture of sweet fruits, flowers and cinnamon. Not exactly the worst, which I was thankful for today. I quickly brushed my teeth as well as washed my face, putting on my usual moisturizer after that. I then combed out my hair, putting it into a messy bun before pulling off my pajamas and slipping into today's clothes. I then walked back to my room, only to hear a lot of noise coming from it, as well as some girls crowding around the doorway.

Knowing something was extremely wrong, I pushed my way through, only to see John and Bobby standing up, both of them ready to fight Dean, who was growling while one of his veins pulsed in his neck.

"Guys?" I asked cautiously, dumping my pajamas onto my bed. Bobby had a glare on his face, one hand balled up into a fist and already frozen. John also was ready to fight, his lighter already activated as a flame stood in his hand.

"The hell are these guys doing in your room?" Dean asked, his eyes turning to me. Dean's powers weren't exactly the worst, just that he could run super fast. Lucy had just come in, her eyes wide as she stared between the three men. She then turned to me.

"Why are there guys in our room?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"They came to do a wake up call and then I told them to wait while I got ready. It didn't take that long," I mentioned, grabbing gently onto John's arm. I looked at him, pleading for him to just stop. He let out a deep sigh, the flame disappearing from his hand. Bobby, noticing how his best friend was backing down, also released his fist, the ice melting onto the carpet as he grabbed John's other arm.

"We'll wait downstairs for you, Jenny," Bobby said, pulling John along with him. His eyes looked back towards me as he stopped in the doorway. Bobby tugged John's arm again but he still stood.

"I'm not leaving without Jenny," he stated firmly, pulling his arm from Bobby as he crossed his arms. Lucy made her way to Dean, trying to calm him down as well only to glare at John.

"Get out of our room. You can meet her downstairs," she commanded. Dean also nodded, his face starting to turn a light shade of purple. I slipped on my flip flops before walking over to John, putting a hand on his arm. He looked down at me, an eyebrow quirked up at my actions. Bobby also seemed to be curious as to what I was doing.

"Just go, okay? I'll be fine and I'll see you guys downstairs." His eyes seemed to plead with me for the smallest second before they glared up at Dean and Lucy.

"Hurt her and I'll torch your ass," he growled out before turning and walking out. Bobby gave me one last hopeful look before walking after his friend. The crowd went away as well as I turned back to Lucy and Dean. Dean's arms crossed across his chest now as his eyes glared at me. Lucy continued glaring but now walked towards me.

"Tell me again why they were in our room?" she practically shouted, her eyes widening. I sighed, pulling back a loose strand of hair behind my ear, looking Lucy firmly in the eyes.

"I told you, I was getting ready when they came to get me. I told them to wait for a couple minutes while I got ready. Then I come back in and see both of them squaring off with Dean," I said, my eyes shifting to him.

"Well I found them in here, going through some of yours and Lucy's things," he said, pointing to my laptop on the desk. Lucy, not seeing the hand gesture towards my computer, gawked at me.

"They were going through out stuff?" she asked, breathing hard.

"He's pointing at my computer!" I shouted, pointing behind her. She only shook her head, her eyes turning black.

"They were in our room! Does that mean nothing to you?" she asked, shaking her head in fury. Dean threw me a smug grin, walking up next to Lucy.

"So then Dean being in our room means nothing? Guys aren't even supposed to be in our rooms in the first place," I countered, putting my hands on my hips.

"He's my boyfriend," she said, glaring at me now like what I had said was blasphemy. I sighed, shaking my head before going over to my bed, picking up the lotion bottle that sat on my bed side table. I began putting some on my legs, ignoring the two in my room who were currently glaring at me. I could care less.

"So you're just going to act like it was nothing? After everything we've told you about them?" Dean growled. I sighed, finishing up with my legs before rubbing my hands together.

"Well for one, they're my friends just as much as you guys are mine. And two, with the whole computer incident, they have my permission. So it shouldn't matter. They know not to bother your things, Lucy." I put the lotion bottle back on my night side table before walking to the door. Unfortunately, I didn't expect for what happened next to happen.

Dean ran towards the door, blocking my way. "We've told you to stay away from them." I glared, getting pissed with every second. At first, they both seemed okay but seriously, it's not like my friendship with John and Bobby was killing anyone.

"From my judgment, though, they seem like good friends. So I'm sorry if you can't accept that." He gawked at me and I'm sure Lucy was as well. "Now move from the door, I'm hungry." This only pissed Dean off. He raised his hand and my eyes widened. He wouldn't dare.

"Tell me when, Lucy." I glared at him, hard. He wouldn't dare.

"Go ahead." His arm immediately came down but wasn't even fast enough. I put my hands up quick, the bubble texture surrounding my body before it turned to its glossy state. Dean's knuckle ended up crashing into it, not even harming me at all.

"Bitch!" he growled, holding his knuckles. I let down the shield but unfortunately didn't hear Lucy run up behind me and tackle me to the ground, an animal like growl emitting from her throat.

"Why the hell can't you just listen to us and stay away from them? They're bad, fucking news!" Lucy screamed, pulling my hair out from my bun.

"Get off!" I screamed, my eyes widening as my force field surrounded my body, pushing Lucy away from me.

"Lucy!" Dean screamed, rushing over to her. I put a hand to the back of my head, massaging my head as I turned to look at Dean and Lucy. Dean was currently stroking her hair as she shook off what had just happened, her eyes opening to reveal blood red. I sighed, standing up and getting into a fighting position.

"You're dead, bitch," Lucy growled, standing up as well. Dean also stood up, breathing hard.

"Come get me," I breathed out, holding my hands out horizontally as if to say I wouldn't fight at all. Lucy pushed Dean forward, who ran towards me. My force field went up again but Dean took a different path and ran behind me; my shield wasn't fast enough to cover my backside. I gasped, turning my head around to see him launch a punch, right into my back. I flew towards my shield, breaking it in the process and flying into a wall.

My eyes closed but I willed myself to open them, making sure I could make sure nothing was going to happen to me. Dean and Lucy met in front of me, Lucy letting a grin roll across her face as Dean crossed his arms, a smug grin on his face as well.

"Oh, it seems that you really aren't that strong," Lucy said, blinking her eyes rapidly as she continued to mock me with laughter. I tried to stand up, only to let out a cry of pain. He had hit my spine hard and breaking through my force field and being stopped by a wall wasn't exactly the best for my body.

"So then, let's just leave her," Dean said, grabbing Lucy's waist.

"Not yet, sweetie," Lucy crooned, rubbing Dean's cheek with her hand, "Let's just kill her now. She doesn't even deserve to be here." My breathing became labored as I closed my eyes. I just couldn't keep myself awake. It hurt too much.

The door suddenly slammed open, though. Lucy screamed loudly while Dean grunted. I opened my eyes to see John and Bobby standing in the doorway, both once again ready to attack, a small group of kids behind them as well.

"Well look at this," John said. Neither of them had seen me yet but as Dean moved to block Lucy, it opened a view for Bobby to see me.

"Jenny?" he asked, his eyes wide. I nodded, resting my head back against the wall as my spine released another shock of pain. John also managed to get a look around the two and his face turned red as his flames grew larger.

"You are so dead," he growled, his eyes turning into one demonic stare as his smile also grew sinister. Bobby looked scared but quickly ran around Lucy and Dean, who were staring horrified at John, to me.

"Jenny," he exclaimed, dropping down next to me, slowly and carefully trying to pick me up from the ground.

"Ah!" I screamed as his hand touched the part of my spine where Dean had punched me. Everything hurt.

"Jenny," he whispered. I couldn't help it as the tears leaked down my face.

"What is going-John!" Both Bobby and I managed to turn our gaze towards the door where Ororo was standing there, staring in horror as John's arms were consumed by flame, Dean and Lucy huddling together. The crowd had disappeared, leaving only Ororo and with her now, Jean. My only focus, though, was on John. His eyes were just so evil and scary.

"John," I whispered. He now turned to me, his eyes losing that flame as the fire around his arms disappeared. He now just looked at me, his eyes full of hurt and fear. I let out a sob as my back once again was shot through with pain. Bobby looked up desperately towards Ororo and Jean, who were both staring at John as his powers slowly disappeared.

"Help!" Bobby finally screamed. Jean snapped out of her daze and ran over, around Dean and Lucy who were both stock still. She bent down next to me, grabbing onto one of my arms.

"What happened, Jennifer?" she asked, rubbing my forehead.

"He punched me. I went through my force field and hit the wall," I gasped out, gripping tight onto her hand.

"Where exactly did he hit you?"

"It feels like my spine." I glanced around Jean to see Ororo walked up to Dean and Lucy and was now talking in a low tone to them. John was still rooted to his spot, his eyes just looking at me as Jean instructed Bobby to help her get me up. I let out another gasp as my body was lifted up.

"Aaah!" I screamed out. This brought Scott and the Professor to the room, both staring in shock at the room. Ororo turned to Scott and said something to him, which he nodded to and walked over to Dean and Lucy, gripping Dean by the arm and pulling him up. Lucy clutched tightly onto Dean and was lifted up with him, being led out of the room with Scott. The Professor then rolled up to us, telling Jean something. Slowly, I was let down back onto the floor, letting out another scream. The only scary thing was, the entire time after I screamed, I couldn't hear a thing.

'Jennifer, can you hear me?' My eyes turned upwards towards the Professor to see him looking down at me, his eyes burning themselves into mine.

'What's wrong with me?' I begged, even my thoughts were strained in pain.

'Your spine was hit pretty hard by Dean. It's nothing vital but you'll need to rest so that it can heal.'

'Why can't I hear anything?'

He seemed to sigh both physically and mentally, 'Your hearing is only temporarily disabled. Your body is strained and needs to rest. It should return soon.'

'Please, Professor. Just make it all stop,' I pleaded. He looked over to Jean and told her something before he reached his arms out and placed his hands on either side of my head, his eyes closing.

'Just close your eyes and relax.' I slowly did so and instantly, everything numbed out and everything disappeared. I then just fell asleep, allowing my body to drift away. The last thing I remembered was seeing John walk out of the room, his head hung as he took one last lingering look at me.


	4. Realization

John's P.O.V.

It had been a week since Jenny fell unconcious. A new girl, named Rogue, and an older guy named Logan had arrived at the school the day after the whole fight. Rogue's powers were that whenever she touched someone, she basically drained their energy and even their life if she wanted. Logan had these claws that extended from his knuckles but his main power was that he could heal himself.

Rogue was in one of my classes and it seemed that Bobby was into her but it didn't matter anyways. During classes, I'd just sit and listen, waiting for the final bell to ring. Once classes were done, I ran out and to the nearest elevator so that I could get to the lab where Jenny was. She was on a metal table, monitors and wires hooked up to her body. Professor Xavier had knocked her out that day, telling us that she was in too much pain and would've done something more reckless to her body if she wasn't careful, especially with her powers. Apparently, she had more than just force field powers.

So here I was, once again sitting next to Jenny, holding her hand like I did every time I came down here. She wasn't dead, the heart monitor as well as her body temperature told me so. And when I could feel her body get too cold from staying down here, I'd just grab her hand and push some of my heat into her body. But she still would sleep. The only thing that made it look less depressing was her stuffed giraffe that she had showed me the first time I went into her room. She said that her older sister, named Claire, had gotten it for her when she had turned seven, a week before she died in a car accident with her fiancée. It meant a lot to Jenny so it may as well be here, right near her, just like I was, to help her through all of this.

I begged Jean to try everything and anything to help Jenny. Jean only said that she couldn't do anything drastic, incase it put Jenny deeper into the coma she was in. She was probably also tired from their latest mission: rescuing Rogue from some bad guy named Magneto. Jean, Scott, Ororo, and Logan had all went to rescue her-the professor had been poisoned somehow-and had just recently brought her back. The only difference was that her bangs were white. Nobody really questioned it. Other than that, everything was getting back to normal. The professors were back in class, Logan would be leaving soon and the professor was active once again. And yet, while the other students were happy that things were back to normal, I couldn't help but feel like a zombie every moment I was away from her.

Funny thing was, every time I came down to stay with her, I always had time to think about everything that had happened.

Once Jenny was taken down to the medical lab, the Professor had dealt with Lucy and Dean accordingly, banishing them from the school. Lucy was frusterated like hell but Dean, amazingly being the voice of reason, led her out of the school, vowing that they would both get their vengeance as soon as they could. Rogue had then been moved into Jenny's room. The only sad part was that she had no idea what her roommate looked like, especially since no one but me was allowed to see her down here.

From what I could remember from that day was mostly a blur. I remembered barging into the room, seeing Lucy and Dean standing in front of Bobby and I. But once Dean moved, Bobby and I both caught a glimpse of Jenny just sitting against the wall, her face contorted in pain. After that, I just lost control. The heat in the room went up a lot and I just couldn't control myself as I released my powers. Luckily, Ororo came by and stopped me. But after that, all I could do was just stare at Jenny as she painfully was moved up and down by Bobby and Jean, screaming at every touch. I felt so horrible that I couldn't help and right as the Professor put her mind into an unconscious state, I walked out, taking once last glance at her before I just walked away, back towards my room. Bobby came in about an hour later and told me that she had been moved down to the medical labs.

Ever since then, all my free time was spent with Jenny, hoping and wishing that she would just open her eyes and smile at me, that smile that I loved to see on her face. I did notice that her smiles were only reserved for Bobby and I. But she had a certain smile that she only let me see and that made the world all the more better. Now was the time, though, that I was just craving to see it, instead of her seemingly lifeless face.

"C'mon Jenny," I whispered, squeezing her hand again. I would do anything at this point, just to hear her talk. Anything...

"John?" I turned around to see Jean walk in next to Professor Xavier. He wheeled himself up near Jenny's head, placing his hands barely on her forehead. A small smile crossed his lips as he looked up at Jean and I.

"What's wrong?" I asked, agitated beyond all reasons. He looked towards me, a feeling of reassurance in his eyes.

"She's ready to wake up." I looked at Professor Xavier oddly, wondering what he meant. Nonetheless, my hand still held tightly onto Jenny's.

"The Professor has been keeping her mind on a stable lockdown," Jean explained, doing a quick check on Jenny's monitors before looking back over at me, a reassuring smile on her face. "That way her body wouldn't overexert itself to heal as well as put her through any mental strain. And so far, her spine has healed well."

"Her mind is also stable," the Professor said, nodding to Jean. She came over, touching my shoulder but I wouldn't let go; I couldn't.

"John, you can stay but just let go of her hand," Jean instructed, rubbing my shoulder. I shook my head, using both of my hands to grab onto Jenny's.

"Please, I can't," I mumbled, staring at Jenny's face. Her breathing was normal, her face so peaceful but yet, I just couldn't let go. I had to stay next to her.

"It's alright, Jean. It would be better if he stayed," said the Professor, closing his eyes and placing his hands about an inch away from Jenny's head, "She really does need some comfort, considering what she's been through." I let my head droop, pressing her hand to my forehead.

The room became silent for the next few minutes. All I could hear was the steady beat of the heart monitor. Jean's hand was still on my shoulder and Jenny's hand was still clammy. I held on tightly, pressing a little heat into her body, little by little.

"Wake up, Jenny," I pleaded. Her fingers twitched slightly, forcing my head to jerk up, looking at her face. The Professor was still hunched over, his hands still where they once were. As for Jenny, she still looked asleep but as soon as her chest heaved a huge breath, I held mine, just knowing that she was coming to. Jean still held onto my shoulder, though.

"Just be patient," she instructed quietly. I held on, pressing her hand to my lips, keeping my eyes on her face. The Professor then sat up, resting his hands in his lap as he moved away from Jenny's body.

Slowly, her eyes began twitching before they fluttered open, revealing that beautiful gray color that I loved staring at. Some color began to come back to her face, making her look human once again instead of a comatose patient. She looked around before she squeezed my hand and then looked at me.

"John," she whispered. I smiled gently at her, pressing her hand to my cheek.

"Morning, Piper," I mumbled. She looked at me in curiosity before she smiled gently, squeezing my hand again.

"Hey, Pyro."

**}****{**

Jenny's P.O.V.

"Eat, please." I looked up at John and Bobby and a new girl, Rogue. Her real name was Marie but her mutant name was Rogue. I looked over to John, who was holding a fork, spaghetti twirled around on it.

"I'm sure she can feed herself," Bobby said, a small grin on his face. I smiled as well before grabbing the fork from John, who was distracted by Bobby. He turned to me, a bit concerned until I ate the spaghetti, smiling at him. He let a reassured grin pass over his face before he slid the plate over towards me.

"So, what exactly did happen?" Rogue asked in her Southern accent, resting her arms on the table. I was guessing that Bobby and John hadn't exactly gotten the story right or that nobody really did know the full story.

"My old roommate and her boyfriend didn't like my choice of friends," I said, pointing my fork at Bobby and John. Rogue looked at them, an eyebrow rising before I continued, "So the one day I let them both just sit in our room so I could get ready and her boyfriend comes in, upset that they were in the room."

"He was actually accusing us that we were breaking and entering," Bobby said.

"Funny thing was that right as he came in, he was hiding some sort of lock pick," John said, also passing me a glass of water. I took it graciously before I continued the story.

"Anyways, I went back in and we all just got into a huge fight. I get knocked out and the next thing I know is that I'm waking up in the medical lab downstairs."

"A week after you got knocked out," John added, now messing with his lighter. I smiled at his habit before I turned back to my food.

"Wow. I didn't think stuff like that happened here," Rogue said, looking at Bobby a bit intently before looking at John and I. I shrugged, quickly finishing the rest of my food.

"Well, it's not like it happens every day," I confirmed before drinking the rest of my water. John picked up my plate, walking towards the sink while I followed, hoping to get some more water.

"Thanks for dinner," I whispered, standing next to him and nudging his arm. He looked down at me, a small smirk making its way to his face as he nudged me back before setting the plate down.

"I have to make sure you eat," he whispered back, grabbing my glass and filling it up with water. I smiled and leaned against the counter, messing with my nails and thinking about exactly what happened when I woke up.

"_Well, all your vitals seem back to normal. Your hearings just as good as it was before you were knocked out and your back has healed excellently," Jean said, smiling gently at me. I smiled back, looking down at my lap._

_I was sitting up on the table, just finished with my check over from the fight that happened a week ago. A week. A whole week that I was knocked out. And from the update that John had given me while Jean had been checking my injuries, a lot had happened._

_For one, Professor Xavier had kicked Dean and Lucy out of the school after all that had happened. Wherever they were was a mystery at this point._

_Two, there were two more people that had come to the school, a man named Logan and a girl named Marie. Storm and Scott had rescued them from Canada after a mutant named Sabertooth had attacked them. The guy, Logan, apparently had healing powers but his body was infused with some kind of metal that allowed three metal claws to come out of his knuckles. His nickname was Wolverine._

_As for Marie, she was around my age and was from the South. Her powers were that whenever she touched someone, she basically could steal their powers and if she held on too long, she could steal their life. Her nickname was Rogue. Professor Xavier had also assigned her as my roommate since my room was the only one open._

_Basically, though, while I was still knocked out, Rogue had been tricked my a mutant named Mystique to leave the mansion which ended up with her getting captured by another mutant named Magneto, an old friend of Professor Xavier's. Magneto had captured her for a plan of his, that involved turning a bunch of world leaders into mutants by giving some of his powers to Rogue so that she could power his machine and die in his place. Luckily, Scott, Jean, and Ororo, along with Logan, had managed to stop the machine and had brought Rogue back, safe and sound._

_But now, Logan had been given a small mission by Professor Xavier and would be leaving soon but other than that, everything else seemed to be going well._

"_Thank you, Jean," I mumbled, looking up at her. She smiled back before turning to John, who had been standing next to the table, one of my hands in one of his._

"_Now, John, considering she hasn't eaten anything in a week, I want you to make sure that she eats, understand?" John nodded, squeezing my hand gently. _

_I looked at him, a questionable look on my face but he only smiled gently before turning back to Jean. "Anything else?"_

"_Well, everything else seems fine but just keep an extra eye on her."_

"_Alright." Suddenly, it just started to feel weird. I was wondering why Jean wasn't instructing this to me but instead to John. I reached out for my stuffed giraffe and held on tightly, keeping my eyes in my lap._

"_Okay, so other than that, just take it easy, understand?" I looked up to see Jean was now looking at me, her eyes kind yet demanding. I slowly nodded, showing off a small smile. With a curt nod to both of us, she walked out, leaving John and I alone._

_I looked up to John as he stood in front of me, putting one of his hands on the side of my head, letting his fingers dig gently into my hair. I closed my eyes, a slight feeling of pleasure running through my body as I leaned into his touch._

"_You feeling okay?" I nodded, letting go of the giraffe and putting both of my hands on his wrist, opening my eyes a bit to look up at him. He had a content smile on his face._

"_Yeah, thanks," I mumbled, pulling his hand down and holding it in front of me. His hand tangled with one of mine, clasping them together gently._

"_C'mon, you can meet your roommate and we'll get you something to eat." I nodded eagerly, my stomach rumbling gently. We both laughed before I stepped down onto the ground and walked out of the medical lab. The entire time, as we went back up to my room, John held my hand gently._

"Piper?" I glanced up at John, to see he was staring at me in confusion, my water glass in his hand. "You okay?"

I sighed, a small smile crawling across my face as I took the glass, "Yeah." He gave me a fleeting look before nodding and walking over towards the table where Rogue and Bobby sat in mild conversation. "Never been better."


	5. The Origin of Piper

"Damn, you're a freakin' midget!" I glared at the girl who had decided to taunt me. She was barely older than me and hardly taller than me. And in all reality, being 5'8" wasn't that short!

"Why don't you back off, bitch!" I screamed, pushing her backwards. She scoffed, as if I had deeply offended before pushing me back, hard. I fell to the floor, glaring up as she shrieked in laughter. The kids that were passing by hurried off after they stared a bit. It was class time and I had asked to use the bathroom and ended up running into Paula, one of Lucy's friends. I guess she had been looking for me so she could get revenge. And now, during a passing period, it was her chance.

"You really made a mistake when you didn't listen to her. And now, you're gonna pay!" She ran towards me, releasing a shriek. I stared, wide eyed in fear as she got closer to me. Instinctively, I raised my hands up, already seeing my force field rise up and cover me, turning from the bubble texture to its glossy state. Yet at the same time, I also saw a force field surround Paula, holding her up in mid-air. Her screams were muffled as she clawed and screamed to be released.

My breathing was labored as I watched the scene unfold, one of the worst scenes I'll probably ever be apart of.

Slowly, it seemed that Paula was losing strength, her screams dying down as her movements lagged. She also seemed to be breathing hard before she moved one of her hands up to her throat, holding tightly as she coughed. As she was coughing, I suddenly felt a rush of air through my lungs. Like…extra air. But it was different-a mix of hairspray fumes and air. I began coughing a bit as well but only a little.

Then, a burning hatred lit up in my stomach. I didn't want her alive, if she was anything like Lucy. I didn't want to be back on a metal table, knowing that I had been out for a week. I wasn't going to go through that again.

I felt my eyes narrow and my fingers curl slightly as the bubble around her began to shrink. Her eyes widened in fear and panic as she began curling herself into a ball. The entire time, I only stared as a part of me on the inside laughed in joy. And one thought ran through my head,_ She'll be dead soon enough._

The bell suddenly rang to end classes. My concentration broke, breaking the force field around myself as well as the force field around Paula. Kids poured into the hallways but stopped as they saw the both of us. Paula was sprawled out on the floor, coughing and wheezing. Immediately, somebody was by my side as Ororo ran over to Paula.

"Jen?" I took a deep gulp of air as I stared at the girl I had almost killed. I almost killed someone. "Piper."

My eyes turned up to see John crouched next to me, his eyes looking feverishly over me as one of his hands grasped onto one of mine.

"John?" I whispered. He nodded, his eyes locking onto mine.

"Are you okay? What happened?" I was slowly set up, my breathing staggered as my eyes were still trained on John. But my mind was racing like crazy! I had almost killed someone! But didn't that make it alright? I mean, one of her friends had tried to kill me and she was trying to finish up the job. So wasn't it right that I should defend myself from her, even if it meant killing her?

"I almost killed her," I mumbled, my body going numb. His eyes bore deep into me, worried. There were probably a few other emotions but that one shone the most. He was worried about me.

"It's okay, Jenny. Just...breathe." I shook my head, looking down at the floor as he pulled me closer to his body. It wouldn't be okay. It just wouldn't.

"John, take her to the professor." I knew Ororo was talking but after that, I stopped paying attention. I didn't notice that John had picked me up in his arms and carried me all the way to Professor Xavier's office. I didn't notice the looks all the kids had given me as we passed them. I didn't notice the evil glare that Paula sent me or that small glint of amusement in her eyes. I just knew that I was breathing and that some girl's life had almost been taken by my powers.

What would happen? Would I get kicked out? Where would I have to go? Where could I go?

"Miss Adams?" I snapped from my thoughts to see I was now in the Professor's office, sitting upright on a small leather couch, Professor Xavier in front of me with John next to him. I stared at them both, taking in a deep breath.

"When should I leave, Professor?" I asked in a quiet voice, not moving my eyes from either of them.

John stared in confusion before the professor spoke, "For using self defense, I don't see that as a reason to be expelled."

"I almost killed her, Professor. I shouldn't be here. And I used some kind of power that I didn't even know I had."

"What do you mean?" John asked, sitting next to me. The Professor also seemed interested in my answer.

"When she came to attack me, I put a force field around myself but there was also one around her. And then, it just started shrinking and…I don't think she could breathe."

"This is the first time you've been able to do this, correct?" Professor Xavier asked, leaning forward in curiosity.

I nodded, "Yes. I mean, I've never been able to shape it after I put it up. I also don't understand why she couldn't breath. I can't do anything like that." So far, after spending a week with Professor Xavier and developing my powers as well as testing them, we had figured out some specific details about my powers.

For one, the size was amazing. It could reach a height of about 4 meters, about as tall as an average adult elephant and could also go out around 3 meters in width without breaking or stressing myself out. The whole thing with the bubble to glossy state was also something I had to develop. Professor Xavier said that when it was still a bubble texture state, it could easily be shaped and was easy to break. And once it was glossy, it could no longer be shaped, was as hard as a diamond, and if you didn't break your hand trying to punch the force field, it had an ability to repel anybody who touched it. Literally a shock that sent you flying, or at least, that's how Logan described it. But if concentration was lost, the force field was as impermeable as a bubble and anyone could break through.

"I don't believe this is connected with your force field powers, Miss Adams." John and I both looked up and stared at the professor as he backed up a bit, his brow crinkled in thought.

"What do you mean, Professor? Does Jenny have some other kinds of powers besides putting up force fields?" John asked.

"Well, it's not rare that powers can branch off. It's a bit like an essay, if you will. Choosing a topic and narrowing it down to something specific to write about. Perhaps, Jennifer, your powers are doing the same. Taking the broad power of producing a force field and branching off into a specific, unique and special power."

"So, what exactly are my powers," I quietly asked, clenching my hands together in my lap. John placed an arm around my shoulders, rubbing my arm comfortably.

"Well, from the descriptions you've told me about the fight, it seems that you've finally gained the ability to shrink and expand the force field in it's second state." That was a bit of good news, I guess. It was an improvement. "As for the lack of oxygen, I'd like to try something, as long as you comply. I'll also need your help, John."

We both looked up at the professor before turning to each other, confusion on both of our faces before turning back. John slowly stood up, squeezing my arm gently before completely leaving me and walking over to the professor, standing next to him, his back towards me.

"Now, Jennifer, as soon as I give John the signal, I want you to act upon the situation, however your instincts see fit." With some slight confusion still buzzing in my head, I nodded and waited, patiently but still a bit tense.

The professor then turned his head towards John, his features giving away nothing. They stood in silence for a while before John nodded his head slightly and straightened up. The professor then looked to me, a small smile on his face. "Alright John. Go ahead."

Slowly, John brought his hand up and aimed it at a plant. Suddenly, a flame burst from his hand and flew straight towards the plant, making it catch fire instantly.

I jolted up, all my previous thoughts gone. "John!" I screamed, rushing over and pushing him out of the way, trying to find a fire extinguisher or something to put it out.

"Jennifer, there is a reason we are doing this," the professor said, almost as if it was simple. I suddenly thought back to when Paula was gasping for air. As if there was no oxygen inside of the force field. And fire, with the absence of oxygen, would die down quickly.

"Good job, Jennifer," the professor praised, "Now, you need to act."

"I don't remember how."

"What were your exact feelings when all of this occurred?"

I looked up at the plant, into the fire. It was going to kill the plant if it wasn't stopped. Just like Paula would've killed me if I hadn't stopped her. And just like that, I brought both my hands up, facing my palms towards the plant. And almost instantly, a bubble like texture began to form around the plant completely before turning directly into it's second, glossy state. Concentrating on the fire, willing it to slowly go away, I suddenly felt a bit of air rushing through my lungs. It was so…clean…and fresh, unlike when Paula was in the bubble. Besides the fact that there was a smoky tint to the air, it was so pure.

The bubble then began to shrink, the fire diminishing to nothing but the plant wilting and the pot cracking a bit as the bubble shaped around the pot and the plant to it's exact shape. As soon as the flame was out, I dropped my arms, letting out a deep breath, tasting a bit of the smoke in my throat before my knees buckled, sending me to the floor.

"Piper!" John called, his footsteps rushing over as his arms wrapped around my body. I looked up, my body now tired as he moved some hair from my face, a small smirk lighting up his face.

"Well, it does seem that I've finally distinguished your powers, Miss Adams," Professor Xavier said, rolling up to us. "I believe that not only have you gained the power to shrink or enlarge your force fields, but you've also seemed to gain an ability to take oxygen out of the air. You did seem to have a feeling of extra oxygen flowing into your lungs, didn't you?"

I nodded, "Yes. It had this bit of fire in it but it was pure and fresh. I've never actually breathed anything that pure before."

"I see. And also, from what I can tell from the pot," he said, rolling over towards the pot and touching it, immediately turning the pot into very tiny pieces as it fell to the ground, the dirt and now dead plant following, "you also seem to have a form of molecular combustion."

"Molecular combustion?" John and I asked at the same time, my voice weaker than his. He sat me upright, my back against his chest as he stood us up, keeping a tight arm around my waist.

"Yes. The main power is usually called molecular manipulation. Your power seems to break the atoms up from the solid object but still maintain some sort of form unless another force or object acts upon it."

I nodded slowly, trying to take this all in. It was confusing, trying to remember all the abilities that I was capable of but slowly, it all just seemed to click.

"Now, then." I looked up, along with John, to see the professor rolled back to his desk, shifting around some papers. "I'll probably call you back in during the week after the field trip to test your powers a little more. Until then, I would strongly urge you, Miss Adams, to be conscious of your powers and train your mind to keep it stable. That will be your new homework assignment from me."

"Yes, professor," I murmured, now being stood up with the help of John.

"You both may leave then." We thanked the professor before grabbing our things and walking out. With John being in the majority of my classes, he took the pleasure to grab my bag before he had rushed me to the professor's office. He handed it to me once we were out in the halls.

"You alright, Piper?"

I glanced up to see John had slung his bag over his shoulder, his eyes trained ahead. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for taking care of me."

He looked down at me and grabbed my upper arm gently, pulling me off to the side as some kids ran by. "Jen, don't thank me for that anymore, okay?"

I gave him a quizzical look, "Why not?"

He took in a deep breath of air before dropping his grip from my arm and looking me dead in the eye, "Cause lately…I don't know. I just feel like it's my job to protect you, y'know? Like, because we're good friends, we don't have to say thank you anymore. It's a given, I guess-that I'll always help you whenever you need it."

"John…"

"I don't know, maybe its just me but, I can't help it. It's like instinct and-" I placed my fingers gently over John's mouth, silencing him. It was his turn to throw me a quizzical look.

"It's not just you, okay? I just wish there were times when I can help you like you help me." His lips turned into a smirk before he took my hand down from his mouth, kissing my fingertips gently before leaning his forehead against mine.

Now that I thought about it, the small things like this that he would do to me, it sent butterflies through my stomach. It felt so right, holding his hand, touching his skin, being this close to him. It felt good…safe…right.

"You do help, Jen. Just seeing your eyes and that smile you give me, it's all worth it. You have no idea how long I felt empty and helpless when you were passed out that week. It was like a part of me died." I lowered my gaze, some of those feelings of darkness rushing back to me. I quickly pushed it aside.

"Really?"

He used his free hand to grip my chin lightly and pull it up so my gaze was fastened with his, "Really." He then softly pressed his lips to my forehead, a light fire pressing heat onto my skin. This did feel right.

My hand that held onto his gripped it tightly, pulling it to my body. He was so warm that it just felt so safe, like no one would hurt me.

"You're the only thing that keeps me happy, Piper. Besides fire," he mumbled against my skin before pressing his lips back to my forehead.

"Why do you call me Piper?" Slowly, he backed away, his eyes a bit glazed over while his hand tightened around mine.

"Promise you won't laugh." I nodded, a small smile on my face that urged him to continue. "Well, the thing is, back when I was still living with my parents, my mom used to watch this one show and one of the characters just reminds me of you. And her name was Piper so I mean, I guess that's where it comes from."

"What's Piper like?" I asked, leaning back against the wall and sliding down, bringing him down with me-he quickly moved himself next to me.

"Well, by the end of the show, she's a strong mother of three who has two younger sisters and has lost an older sister. She has her weak side but she hardly ever shows it. She's always fighting and trying to protect all the people she loves."

"And I'm like her?" I asked, staring into his eyes. He smirked back, pulling my body closer to him as he buried his face into my hair.

"I think you're like her." I smiled and played with his fingers before pressing my lips to the center of his palm. Even there it felt warm but a nice warm. Like when you drink hot chocolate on a winter day or s'mores on a cool summer evening.

"The show wouldn't happen to be called Charmed, would it?"

John went rigid next to me before he relaxed and mumbled "Shut up" into my hair. I giggled lightly, kissing his palm again before I snuggled into his body, his warmth covering me.

"So I'm you're Charmed one. Does that make you Leo, my angel?"

He picked his head up, a sluggish smile on his face. "Of course." We sat there until our stomachs growled and we made a run to the kitchen. And that's how I became Piper and he became Leo.

* * *

Well, for all of you, this is actually my first time leaving a message :)

So, sorry for updates being so long. Honestly, I have a very hard time keeping myself focused when writing my stories and it's hard to sometimes come up with ideas. I will, though, try my best in the future to keep on writing. Unlike others, I do not require you to review or rate or whatever. Just read and send messages if you feel it's necessary. And luckily since summer is coming up, I'll have more time (hopefully) to update faster.

Thanks to all who read my stories and who will read my upcoming future stories. I greatly appreciate it :) As always, if you have suggestions or wish for me to write a story for you, please let me know. I would be happy to write stories for your enjoyment :) Forewarning that it may take some while to develop the story line but if you already have one, great :)


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